Effects of Substituting Sedentary Behavior with Light-Intensity or Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity on Obesity Indices in Adults: A Prospective Short-Term Follow-Up Study

Abstract

Background: Sedentary behavior (SB) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that there may be benefits of replacing SB with light-intensity (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity. Substituting SB with LIPA and MVPA might be associated with body composition changes. Methods: We assessed body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat body mass (FBM), and physical activity level, as well as one-year changes, in 780 adults (EPIMOV Study). Results: We analyzed into 10-min blocks SB, LIPA, MVPA, and total wear time. After 14 ± 3 months of follow-up, there were 242 completed procedures. We reallocated time spent in SB to LIPA or MVPA and assessed cross-sectional and prospective associations with the outcomes using isotemporal substitution models. In cross-sectional analysis, substituting 10-min blocks of SB with MVPA led to significant decreases of 1.23 kg in body weight, 0.30 kg/m² in BMI, and 0.38% in FBM. 10-min blocks substituting SB with LIPA produced significantly lower body weight (1 kg) and BMI (0.1 kg/m²) values. In longitudinal analysis, reallocating SB to MVPA was only associated with FBM decline (−0.31%). Conclusions: Substituting SB with MVPA is associated with significant improvement in obesity indices in both cross-sectional and follow-up. Replacing SB with LIPA produced a less consistent impact.

Joint Association between Sedentary Time and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity with Obesity Risk in Adults from Latin America

“…Although the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Latin America has reached 60%, one of the highest in the world, constituting the region with the highest percentage of physically inactive people, few studies of representative samples have been conducted using accelerometers to measure ST and MVPA to study their combined association with obesity and other health indicators [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. For instance, Gonze et al showed that replacing 10 min blocks of ST with light and/or MVPA reduced obesity rates, especially when supplementing ST with MVPA in Brazilian adults [ 17 ]. In another study to examine the dose–response associations of physical activity and ST with body mass index (BMI), with data from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, the results showed a negative association between MVPA and BMI, especially in men [ 18 ].…”